Fear of Suffocation
by justawkwardlystandingthere
Summary: "Piper looked away, trying to block out Percy's anguished cries, tears pooling in her eyes. She had never seen Percy— or anyone for that matter— look so… broken, so scared. Phobos, on the other hand, stood just to her left, grinning like he was watching an amusing movie. A wave of anger hit her. How could anybody be so cruel?" A Percy and Piper friendship story. NOT PERCY/PIPER!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**So, I've had this idea for a short story involving Percy and Piper friendship for a while, and it sort of evolved into this story about Percy's fears as well. I hope you guys enjoy! Please review if you have any plot ideas, or even ideas for others stories. All reviews are loved! Also, I personally am a huge fan of **friendship **stories between Percy/Piper, Annabeth/Jason and Percy/Jason. And by friendship I mean friendship only; no romance. If anyone has any good recommendations, please comment or PM me. Thanks for reading! **

Piper woke up to screams. She flung the covers off her bed, and jumped to her feet, yanking Katropis off her dresser on the way out the door, not bothering to change out of her pajamas first. She crept down the hallway and up onto the deck, the cold floor leaving her bare feet tingling.

Something definitely felt wrong. The scene before her seemed unnaturally calm and quiet, almost... peaceful. The sea slapped playfully against the ship's hull, creating a comforting rocking motion. A cool wind whistled faintly through the sails, gingerly ripping strands of loose hair from her ponytail and whipping them into a soft cloud around her face.

Were had the screams come from? She did a quick lap around the deck, half expecting a monster to jump out from the shadows behind her, but for once nothing did. Eventually, after she was relatively satisfied that nothing was going to attack her, she eased herself into one of the beach chairs that Percy had insisted Leo add to the deck, saying that he "needed a comfortable vantage point to guard the ship from." Piper couldn't help but smile at the memory. That had been on their first day officially together as the seven of the prophecy, and although she had been terrified out of her mind, she still found herself reminiscing for those days.

A sudden _creak_ broke her out of her thoughts, scaring her silly. She whirled around, Katropis flashing through the air in a deadly arc, but there was nothing there. Piper shook her head, sticking her knife back in the waistband of her pants. Her paranoia seemed to be in overdrive that night, almost as if someone were…

"SHOW YOURSELF!" She commanded, pouring all of her charmspeak into the words. There was a sudden pop and a figure appeared in a flash of black light. He was dressed in dark jeans and a black leather jacket, his face crisscrossed with brutal scars. Piper didn't recognize him from any myths, but he radiated the powerful, tell-tale aura of a god. His mere presence seemed to have an affect on her, and the slightly-panicked feeling that she had had all night increased to full out panic. Voices whispered frantically at the edge of her consciousness, their words undistinguishable. She flinched back under his gaze, shaking her head in a futile attempt to clear it. If anything, the voices seemed to intensify.

_Run!_ They rasped. _Scream! FEAR US!_

The words seemed to seize control of her mind, and suddenly she couldn't think straight. For the first time in her life, she understood what charmspeak felt like. Every molecule of her body wanted to scream in fear, to run away, to give in to the voices, but her mind just wouldn't let her. A name fluttered at the edge of her consciousness, flying away just before she could grasp it. She struggled to remember, her body threatening to give out under the strain and the pure terror. Terror. That was it.

"De…Deimos," she managed to choke out, struggling against the words that held her captive. "You…you don't scare me." She took a deep breath, regaining control of her mind; she couldn't let his voice get to her like that.

The effect of her words was instantaneous. The voices in her head vanished completely, leaving behind a shocking silence.

"Very good sister," taunted Deimos. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the mast, wearing a look of mock impression. "Other people tend to go crazy in my presence, but not you…. _Nooo_ you're too good for that. Too _strong_. Or are you?"

Piper gritted her teeth. She knew he was trying to aggravate her, but the sound of his oily voice made her want to bash her head against a wall. She remembered the myth now. Deimos and Phobos. Terror and Fear. Sons of Ares and Aphrodite— which made them her half brothers… She shuddered. To say she had a confusing family tree would definitely be an understatement.

"Scared sister? You should be." His voice dripped with powerful magic, charmspeak at it's most dangerous. If she hadn't been prepared for the onslaught of power, she would be dead. There was no doubt in her mind about that. As it was, she could barely control her own thoughts. Piper took a deep breath, a final effort to wrest her mind from Deimos's control. Her head cleared somewhat, and a plan started to form in her mind.

Piper started to laugh. The musical sound bounced about the deck, completely breaking Deimos's spell. She clutched at her sides, thinking of every funny thing that had ever happened to her. Leo's nose spontaneously bursting on fire, Percy's pouting face that had absolutely no effect on Annabeth, Frank turning into an iguana… The flood of happy memories seemed to completely disorient Deimos, but she wasn't sure how long it would work. It was now or never.

"Deimos," started Piper sternly, pouring potent amounts of charmspeak into the words; more that she had ever used before. "You will leave this ship now. You will not harm anyone on this boat, and you will never return."

Deimos hesitated, and Piper held her breath. If he broke free of her words there was nothing she could do; she had never excelled at hand to hand combat. After what felt like millennium, the battle of wills seemed to finally cease, and Deimos nodded slowly— clearly unsure of why he was doing so— disappearing in a flash of light.

Piper slunk to the ground in exhaustion and shock, propping herself up against the railing. She was more tired than she cared to admit— the charmspeak had taken a lot out of her. She had barely been sitting down for five minutes, when she heard them again. The screams. Terrible screams. Coming from below deck.

_I'm an idiot,_ thought Piper, jumping back to her feet and rushing downstairs. Deimos and Phobos, Terror and Fear, were twin brothers. She had just beaten Deimos, but where was Phobos?

The source of the racket was Percy's room, of all places. This surprised Piper; of the seven demigods on the Argo ll, Percy would be the last one she expected to be screaming like this. She hated herself for doing it, but she hesitated outside his door, unsure of exactly what she would find inside. It sounded as if someone were being tortured. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore. She reached for the doorknob, only to find in locked tight from the inside. Panic fluttered in her breastbone. Percy was in trouble, she was sure of it.

The door came down with three well-aimed kicks, leaving her bare foot stinging with splinters of wood. She rushed in the room, but suddenly she wasn't on the Argo ll anymore, she was somewhere else entirely.

* * *

><p><em>Piper stood at the edge of a deep crevice, staring down into the inky black depths of the earth. Sharp voices broke her out of her trance, and she looked up suddenly, coming face to face with… herself? No. There was no way this was her. Other Piper looked exactly like her, down to the choppy hair braided with black and white feathers, but her face was twisted and cruel, her hard kaleidoscope eyes full of hatred. Annabeth, Jason, and the rest of the seven were there also, along with Nico, Thalia, Reyna, Clarisse, Travis and Conner Stoll, and countless others that Piper didn't recognize; each of their faces just as terrible as Fake Piper's.<em>

_"NO! Please!" Someone was screaming frantically, and Piper realized with a start that it was Percy. The others were surrounding him, Jason and Frank seizing his arms and forcing him into… a wooden box? No. A coffin. Piper's eyes widened in horror, realizing what was about to happen. She tried to shout, tried to run forward to help, but someone grabbed her by the arm in an unbreakable grip, restraining her. She whirled around, coming face to face with Phobos. He was dressed in ratty jeans and a black T-shirt, a dirty red bandanna wrapped around his greasy hair._

_"Where are you going girlie? These are his worst fears, you can't help him." Phobos's eyes were bright, alight with flames. He looked like a kid in a candy store, and that made Piper sick. How could someone get so much pleasure from seeing others suffer?_

_"Let…go…of…me!" She wrested her arm from his iron grip, and tried to run forward, but her legs wouldn't obey._

_"Don't leave!" Phobos was grinning like a maniac. "This is the best part!"_

_Piper couldn't help but watch as Percy was pushed into the coffin, despite his violent struggles, and down into the inky depths of the earth. She shouldn't have been able to see what happened after that, but somehow she could; she could see straight through the earth and the coffin itself._

_Percy's breath was coming to him in short gasps, and he was struggling desperately against his prison, scratching at the walls until his fingers bled. The tons of earth on top of him started leaking into the coffin, slowly suffocating him. Percy looked like he was having a panic attack. His emerald eyes were wild, and full of fear, tears streaming down his face._

_The scene around them suddenly flickered, then changed. Piper recognized their surroundings with a start. They were back in the Nymphaeum, only this time Percy was completely alone. There was nothing he could do as the black, oily water crept higher and higher up his body, slowly drowning him. He desperately struggled to control the cursed water, but it wouldn't obey him. He prayed and begged to Poseidon, but nothing happened. As the water finally engulfed his head, the scene changed once again._

_They were in a small, dark cell. Percy hung from the wall, arms chained above his head, screaming bloody murder. He fought and struggled desperately against his bonds, calling out for Annabeth, for his mom and dad, for his friends. Piper even caught her own name a few times. His torturer stood behind him, whip in hand, hands splattered with Percy's blood. Piper gasped when she saw her face. It looked exactly like Annabeth. As she watched the daughter of Athena's face changed, morphing into Nico's, then Jason's, then Piper's own. Piper's screams mingled with Percy's, as the scene changed yet again._

_She was back at Camp Half-Blood, but the camp was in ruins, the cabins burned to the ground. Percy stood atop Zeus's Fist, surrounded by a hoard of angry monsters, each holding a knife to the throat of a captive demigod. "Why didn't you save us Percy?" called out Annabeth, as she was roughly shoved to the ground. "This is all your fault." Percy tried to call out, tried to save her, but he seemed to be paralyzed. He couldn't help but watch as each of his friends was shoved to the ground, one after another._

_Piper looked away, trying to block out Percy's anguished cries, tears pooling in her eyes. She had never seen Percy— or anyone for that matter— look so… broken, so scared. Phobos, on the other hand, stood just to her left, grinning like he was watching an amusing movie. A wave of anger hit her. How could anybody be so cruel? She stumbled backwards, grabbing Katropis out of her belt loop. The celestial bronze knife whistled through the air, nailing Phobos in the middle of the forehead. The god howled in pain, golden ichor dripping down his face._

_"GET OUT OF HERE!" Piper's voice, usually so clear and coherent, cracked with emotion. "LEAVE!" Phobos didn't even hesitate. He vanished in a swirl of red, and the scene around them dissolved into smoke.  
><em> 

* * *

><p>She was back in Percy's room, leaning against the wall, breathing hard. Percy lay curled up on the ground, shaking slightly. His hands were bloody, and the wooden floor surrounding him was covered in deep scratch marks. They had been in the cabin the entire time, Piper realized, Phobos had just manipulated the Mist to trick them into thinking otherwise. Percy moaned suddenly, his eyelids fluttering open, and Piper rushed to his side. She grabbed his arm gently to help him up, but he cringed back, trembling slightly.<p>

"Please…" he begged, his eyes shining with fear, "leave me alone."

Piper's heart broke a little when he said that. "Percy it's me, Piper. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Piper." He sounded relieved, yet embarrassed at the same time. "Um. What are you doing in here?"

Piper mentally face-palmed. Only Percy would try and blow the whole thing off. "You were screaming," she replied, "are you okay?"

"Ye..yeah," he lied, not-so-smoothly, getting to his feet. "Just a dream."

"What were you dreaming about?" she asked innocently.

"Umm, Leo… dancing." Percy started, uncertainly. "Yeah, that's it, Leo dancing. Scary stuff."

"Perseus Jackson, please tell me you are not going to stand there and pretend like nothing just happened." Percy winced at the sound of his full name.

He raised his hands in surrender. "Look, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Percy, you're a really, really bad liar," she replied. Why was he being so defensive about this?

"I'm not…" Piper cut him off.

"I saw it," she interrupted. Percy suddenly seemed to find the rug very interesting, but she plowed on. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head, forcing a small grin. "Nah, it was just a little nightmare. No big deal. Thanks for waking me though, I'll see you in the morning."

He wanted her out, and that much was obvious, but Piper could tell that Percy was barely holding himself together. He was paler than Nico, and was visibly trembling, his black T-shirt soaked in sweat.

"A little nightmare?" Piper raised her eyebrows. "That's not a nightmare Percy, it's torture!"

He opened his mouth to retort, then closed it again. "I... I know." His voice dropped down to a whisper. "I just don't know what to do about it. I've thought about asking Annabeth, but I don't want to worry her."

"Wait a minute, 'thought'? Percy, has this happened before?" Her voice rose a little, fueled by shock. Percy looked like he wished he had never said anything.

"Look, can we talk about this up on the deck? I'm a little... claustrophobic." He said the last part quickly, as if he were embarrassed by it.

Piper blinked in surprise. Percy's room wasn't exactly roomy, but it wasn't cramped either. "Yeah, of course. Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**Thank you guys so much for the feedback! It really means a lot. And yes, I will be continuing this story, I just got really sidetracked with some school issues that popped up. But enough excuses, hopefully the next update will be a lot faster. Also, this chapter is a little more lighthearted than the first, it just kind of ended up that way, but I promise the next one will be just as filled with angst as the first. Thanks for reading, and feel free leave any comments or feedback, everything is helpful. :)**

Percy crossed the deck in four quick strides, effortlessly sliding under the railing, letting his legs dangle off the side of the ship. Piper followed suit and they sat together in a comfortable silence. She didn't push him for answers, she knew he would share when he was ready. Instead she looked out at the ocean, marveling at how something could be so beautiful yet so dangerous at the same time. The sea was a lot like Percy, she realized, and not just because he was a son of Poseidon. The surface of the water looked as smooth as a pane of glass, but underneath the water churned, full of turmoil. She would never have believed it until that night, but Percy was the same way— full of pain and suffering that he refused to show on the outside.

"I never thanked you, you know?" Piper looked up with a start. The full moon reflected off the surface of the water, illuminating Percy's angular features. The wind sang through the salty sea air, gently ruffling through his raven hair. "At the Nymphaeum, I mean. I was so relieved to be alive, that I forgot to thank you for saving my life." He forced a laugh, but the sound held no mirth. "Isn't that terrible?" His words were bitter and full of disgust.

"Percy it's fine, it's not a big deal." She was tempted to use her charmspeak to relieve some of his stress, but resisted the urge. She wanted him to trust her, to talk to her, and spelling him would not bode well for her chances.

Percy shook his head stubbornly. "But it is. You and Jason almost died, and that was my fault. I went down there first, gave you guys the all clear. It _was _my fault," he repeated, his voice full of conviction.

Piper clenched her fists when he said that. "Percy it wasn't your fault. I promise." She held out her pinky finger, and Percy accepted, almost grinning. "But why are you so worried about it anyway? Does it... does it have something to do with... you know, what _he _showed you?"

_He _being Phobos of course. Piper felt guilty about asking so many questions, especially when Percy was so obviously barely holding himself together. It was as if she were laying siege on a fortress; she kept drawing closer and closer to the inside, but she had to watch her every move, as to not trip an alarm. These were dangerous grounds, and she had to tread carefully.

But apparently she had missed a step. Percy practically exploded, jumping to his feet, and scaring her half out of her wits. "I'm fine Piper!" He snapped, yelling so loudly that she would be surprised if he didn't wake up the entire ship. "I don't need help, and I especially don't need you and your pity!" The water beneath them churned wildly, nearly pitching her over the side of the boat. _Hades, he was mad. _Percy never, never acted like this. She quickly got to her feet, gripping the railing like it was a life-preserver. Which it kind of was. If she went into the water, the only person who could possibly get her out was Percy, and she had no idea whether or not he would at this point.

"Percy…" She tried to speak, but her words, usually so clear and coherent, were lost in her throat. "Percy, you need to calm down." She couldn't let Percy destroy the ship, not when they were facing such a deadline. Leo would kill her. Piper placed her hand on his shoulder, but he threw it off, and she collided into the railing. Riptide was out in the blink of an eye, three feet of deadly Celestial Bronze poised directly at her neck. It was barely half a second before Percy seemed to realize what he was doing, but it felt like eternity.

"Gods. _Gods! _What… Piper… I'm… I'm… " The pressure on her neck was gone as quickly as it had come, as Percy backed away from her desperately, a horrified look on his face. He took one last look at her, still crumpled against the railing, before disappearing around the corner of the deck, out of her line of vision. She cursed under her breath, and swiftly grabbed the railing, hauling herself to her feet, trying to ignore the throbbing of her forehead from where she had collided with the railing.

She found Percy leaned up against the wall of the cabin. He was gently fingering his blade, running his fingers up and down it's razor sharp edge, not even wincing when it drew blood. "Percy!" Something about the way he was staring at Riptide scared her. He looked up at her, startled, before hurling Anaklusmos away into the waves.

"I'm so sorry Piper, I didn't mean to, I…"

"I know, its not a big deal, Percy."

"But… "

"Percy… "

"I… "

"Percy… "

"It… "

_"Percy!" _

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I deserved that didn't I?"

Piper smiled slightly at that; maybe the Percy she knew wasn't completely gone after all. "Yes you did." She gestured towards his bleeding hands. "What in Hades were you doing?" she demanded.

Percy put his head in his hands. "I don't.. I didn't… I wasn't thinking."

This was killing him, she realized. He obviously wasn't accustomed to sharing things like this. She wondered with a start if even Annabeth knew anything about what had been going on, then was immediately hit with a stab of guilt. _What was she doing asking Percy such personal questions when she barely knew the guy? _What could he possibly be so ashamed of that he wouldn't even talk to his girlfriend about it?

_The Nymphaeum. Being buried alive. Claustrophobia. _The pieces of the puzzle all came together suddenly, forming a picture clear as day. The answer had been staring her in the face the entire time, how had she not noticed it before?

"Percy," she started off hesitantly, not wanting to scare him off. "Are... are you afraid of suffocating? Is that it?" His wince told her she had guessed correctly.

"Pretty pathetic, isn't it? A son of Poseidon afraid of drowning."

"Not at all." Piper took his hand in her own, and laced her fingers through his, giving his hand a little squeeze in what she hoped came across as a comforting, and-not-at-all-romantic type of gesture. She loved Percy the same she way she loved Leo. As a friend, practically a little brother. But Percy was nearly two years older than she was, Piper reminded herself. If anything, he should have been a _big_ brother to her.

He looks up at her suddenly, doing a double take when he sees her face. "You're bleeding." She raises a hand to her forehead, and sure enough, it comes away covered in blood.

"Son of Hephaestus." She didn't need this right now, head wounds were nasty. They hurt like Hades, and seemed to take an eternity to heal. The ghost of a smile touched Percy's lips.

"Did you just use Leo as a cuss word? What did he ever do to you?"

Piper grinned back at him. "Nothing yet," she replied honestly. "That I know of," she amended. You never knew with Leo.

"Well come on then, lets get you to the infirmary." Percy pushed himself to his feet, and stood waiting, impatiently tapping his foot. "Anytime this century please, I have a schedule to keep."

Piper stuck out her tongue. "At four in the morning? Sure you do."

Percy's face paled considerably, growing serious once again, and she cursed herself for ruining his good mood. "It's _four _a.m.? Gosh Piper, I'm sorry. You're going to be exhausted tomorrow."

She raised an eyebrow. "And you won't be? Because, no offense or anything, but you look like crap."

Percy raised a hand to his chest, in mock indignation. "That hurts Pipes, it really hurts." She barely registering the fact that he had called her Pipes. It felt natural somehow, as if they had been friends forever. "But seriously, come on. Jason will kill me if I let you bleed to death. You wouldn't want that on your conscience would you?"

Piper rolled her eyes, and pushed herself to her feet, stumbling as she was hit with a wave of dizziness. "Whoa there." Percy's hand shot out and caught her before she could hit the ground. "You alright?" She nodded wordlessly, gritting her teeth to keep from crying out. Her head felt like it was about to explode.

"Fine. Just a… small headache."

Percy nodded. "Uh huh, and Leo's the Queen of England." Piper would have snorted at the image that came to mind, but her head didn't feel like it was about to split open. "Don't worry, I got you Beauty Queen." Before Piper could question what he was doing, or protest the nickname, he had already scooped her up and thrown her over his shoulder like a bag of flour.

"Percy! Put me down!" She slapped her hands against his back, pouting like a little kid, but Percy was undeterred, and she thanked the gods that she was wearing pajama pants and not a skirt. _Like she would ever be caught dead in a skirt. _Eventually, she just gave up and hung limp, allowing Percy to tote her down the stairs and through the many twists and turns that led to the infirmary.

When they arrived, he unceremoniously dumped her onto the cot closest to the door, the one labeled '_Jason,' _surrounded by a bunch of smiley faces with x-ed out was Leo's idea of a joke. During their trip, Jason and Percy had spent so much time passed out in the infirmary, that he had designated a cot for each of them, complete with a name tag, as well as a running tally of the number of times that each had "done something stupid to land them there." They were currently tied, with 19 each, something that both loathed. _Boys. _Piper shook her head, wincing as she did so.

Percy plopped down beside her, smiling as he handed her a glass of nectar which she drained, her headache immediately subsiding. "Frowning upon the ignorance of the male sex?" The question took her aback. He always had the most uncanny ability to know exactly what others were thinking.

"No," she lied, defensively. He gave her a look, and her resolve crumbled. _How Annabeth won any arguments with the guy, she would never know. _"Okay, yes. I… How did you know?"

Percy grinned. "I didn't know, I _noticed._" Piper rolled her eyes.

"You've been watching waytoo much T.V."

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, somebody had to take over Coach Hedge's old job."

She frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Sitting in front of the T.V. for hours at a time isn't a job, Percy."

"It is too!" he protested, "and no one does it better than me and Jas…" He trailed off suddenly, realizing exactly what he had just said. Piper groaned. She was going to have to have a talk with Jason. And Annabeth.

"No." Percy's eyes widened in mock horror. "Tell Annabeth. You wouldn't." _How did he do that?it was like he was reading her mind. _She decided to just go with it.

"Oh wouldn't I?" She folded her arms, trying her best not to smile. "It's a dangerous game you're playing, Mr. Jackson."

"Please!" overdramatized Percy, "I'll do anything!" He grabbed her arm and shook her, immediately stopping when she flinched away, worry flooding his face. Before she could protest, he had already pushed up her sleeve, revealing a nasty set of bruises covering the skin. Percy was staring at her like she had grown a second head.

"What the _heck _happened Piper?" he demanded, his voice raised in surprise. The joyous feeling in the room immediately dissipating.

_Phobos, _she recalled, _Phobos had grabbed her in Percy's nightmare. _"In your nightmare, he…"

Percy didn't even let her finish. "Phobos?" he asked, incredulously, surpass quickly turning to anger. "Phobos did this?! I'm going to kill that son of a…. he promised…" Percy trailed off abruptly, realizing exactly what he had just said.

"Percy?" questioned Piper, panicking slightly, "what do you mean 'he promised?'" Now she was panicking. "Have you _talked _to him before? What did you promise him?"

He winced slightly at her onslaught of questions. "He… he promised he wouldn't hurt you— any of you— if he could… if I'd let him…"

"You let him do that to you." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. "You _let _him do that to you! What in Hades were you thinking, Percy!"

Percy flinched violently, suddenly looking like a little kid again. "I was thinking that I couldn't let him hurt any of you," he whispered, and it was obvious that he meant it. Before she knew what she was going, Piper had wrapped her arms around him, his head buried in her shoulder, body shaking with silent sobs.

"It's okay to cry, you know," she soothed, rubbing her hand in tiny circles on his back. "Pain is meant to be felt, Percy. It's not healthy to keep it bottled up inside like this."

"Didn't… want… to bother…" His voice was muffled by her shoulder, but it was obvious enough what he was getting at.

"Perce, you may be one of the most impulsive, reckless, stubborn, headstrong people I know…"

"Geez, thanks Pipes," he interrupted, voice laden with sarcasm.

She smacked him playfully. "Shut up, Kelp Head, I wasn't finished yet."

Percy sat up at the nickname, face flushed red from crying. He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "You've been talking to Thalia haven't you?"

"_Anyway," _Piper continued, completely unfazed. "There's still nothing that you could possibly say that would ever, _ever_, bother me, do you understand that?" He gave a slow, almost undetectable half-nod, and Piper felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. Finally, he got it. He understood that he wasn't alone, and that he never would be. "And promise me Percy, that if you ever need anything, and I mean _anything, _that you'll ask someone for help. Not everything has to fall on your shoulders. I know that Annabeth will always be there for you, and you really should talk to her about this, but if there's ever something that you just can't bring yourself to talk about, come to me. My door is always open, Percy, and I know everyone else feels the same way."

Percy stared at her for a moment, digesting her speech. "I promise." No sooner were the words out his mouth, then the night erupted into screams.

**A/N**

**I couldn't help but put a small Sherlock reference in this chapter, it just fit so well :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Thank you guys so much for all of the feedback, especially the reviews! =) You don't understand how much they mean to me. Thanks especially to Tom Marvolo Riddle 2 for by far the sweetest review I have ever gotten, and to thedreamthieves who reviewed TWICE! She also has an amazing Piper/Percy friendship story published, which you guys should check out. Anyway, on with the story!**

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><p>"Annabeth!" Percy was already out the door and halfway up the steps before she could protest.<p>

"Percy! Percy, wait!" Piper sprinted after him, taking the stairs three at a time, somehow managing to grab Percy by the arm before he could do anything stupid. He struggled against her grip, but by some miracle, she managed to hold on. "It's just Phobos, Percy, he's messing with your head. Annabeth's fine."

"But what if she's not? What if you're wrong?" Percy was teetering on the edge of panic, and it was obvious. "I lied to you, Piper," he continued. "Suffocation isn't my worst fear. Losing my friends is." And then he was gone, tearing up the stairs, leaving Piper alone to digest his words.

Taken aback, she made to follow him onto the deck, just as the door in front of her slammed shut, effectively trapping Percy on the other side. "Percy!" She rammed her shoulder into the door, but it wouldn't budge, and the familiar helpless, panicked feeling began to dig at her chest again. _"Percy!" _She was desperate now, fruitlessly banging on the door with her palm, ignoring the crude splinters of wood she got in return.

"Need a hand?" Startled, she spun around, yanking Katropis from her waistband, only to come face to face with Jason, the rest of the seven right behind him. "Whoa there." Jason raised his hands in mock surrender, gently lowering her knife away from his face. "It's just me, Pipes. What's going on? We heard screaming."

Piper shook her head. _Percy's in trouble. Long story. Not important right now, I'll tell you later— promise. _

Clearly getting the message, Jason merely nodded, and at that moment, Piper could have kissed him. How he managed to be so understanding and trusting in her, she would never know. Just knowing he was there was a huge relief. She didn't deserve the guy, she really didn't.

Jason kicked at the door twice, with the same result. "Leo, we could use some help here."

"Alright, alright," grumbled Leo, gesturing at the others to step back. "Sometimes I swear you guys only like me for my fire."

"Not the time, Leo," snapped Annabeth, practically stomping her foot with impatience. Not that Piper could blame her. Leo shot Annabeth an apologetic glance before raising his hands, red-hot flames coalescing around his fingers.

"Boom." He launched the fire at the door with an incredible amount of force, knocking it straight off its hinges. Smoke filled the hallway, but Piper fought through it, the others right on her tail, completely unprepared for the sight that met her.

Phobos was leaning against the mast, eyes half-closed, absentmindedly picking at his teeth with a knife, face coated in dried _ichor _from a wound in his forehead. A wound that _she _had caused, remembered Piper, without an inch of regret. The bastard had deserved it.

She heard a choking sound off to her right, and whirled around, coming face to face with the scariest thing she had seen all night. Percy was pressed against the wall, feet literally dangling off the ground, with none other than Deimos's arm pressed to his neck.

"YOU!" Piper was practically seeing red, her face livid. "YOU SWORE YOU WOULD LEAVE, THAT YOU WOULDN'T COME BACK!" Taken by surprise, the god jerked around to face her, thankfully dropping Percy in the process. He promptly crumpled to the floor, desperately gagging and choking for breath.

Piper sensed rather than heard Annabeth start forwards to help him, but Phobos held out a hand, sending the daughter of Athena crashing back into the others, ropes lashing them the railing with a mere snap of his fingers. "Not on the River Styx I didn't," snarled Deimos, stepping closer to her. "You really should be more careful, sister." And at that moment, Piper could have cursed herself for being so stupid. She had screwed up, and now her friends were about to pay for it.

"You leave them alone," hissed Piper, treacherous tears stinging at her eyes, only fueling her anger. She didn't care if Deimos and Phobos were gods, she was going to kill them if it was the last thing she did.

"Aww, sister. Are you crying? Here, let me help." Before she could protest, she was already flying through the air, her back slamming painfully into the wall, black spots dancing in front of her eyes. She was barely aware of Jason yelling and calling out her name, but she was too winded to reply. Deimos's face suddenly loomed in front of her, cold eyes gleaming with malice. "Which one should I kill first, huh sister? Your little boyfriend? Or how about this one here?" He nudged an unconscious Percy with his knife, drawing a shallow cut down his arm. "But then again, Phobos would be so sad. He loves listening to him scream."

Anger coursed through her body. _No wonder Phobos wasn't doing anything, no wonder Percy was still unconscious. Phobos had him trapped in another nightmare._ With a growl she broke free of the god's hold, bringing her leg straight up, connecting to his chin with a sickening crunch. Deimos howled in pain, falling back to the ground, as Piper slid down the wall, landing directly on top of him.

Her first punch hit him square in the eye, knocking his head back into the wood with a satisfying thud. Before he could retaliate her left hand was there, slamming into his nose with a crushing force she didn't even know she had. The god struggled, but at that moment, Piper had the upper hand. She slammed her fists into Deimos's face over and over again, desperate to get the images, no _memories_, of Percy sobbing into her shoulder, of Percy _dying _over and over again, out of her head. She was able to land at least three or four more good blows before the god managed to throw her off, sending flying through the air, crashing straight into the table.

"Good move, sister," purred Deimos, icy eyes flashing with anger, _ichor _dripping down his face. "My turn." His sword was out before she could blink, four solid feet of rough rusted metal. She desperately rolled clear of the blade, narrowly avoiding getting her head chopped off, but his other hand was already out with an inhuman speed, catching her by the collar and forcing her to her knees. She struggled against his grip, but it was futile. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. She could hear the others screaming her name, could see the blade slowly descending towards her. The blade that would finally prove to be her downfall. She closes her eyes, not wanting Deimos's face to be the last she sees.

Suddenly, a defiant yell fills the night, and the pressure at her collar is gone as soon as it had come. Percy is standing above her like some kind of avenging angel, dark hair flying, panting heavily, pure fury in his eyes. Water is churning and whirling around him at a deadly speed, practically his own mini-hurricane of destruction. Deimos is lying on the deck some five yards away, groaning, covered in salt water, while Phobos is staring at Percy with horror in his eyes.

"You were… I had you trapped," spluttered Phobos. "How are you… how did you get out?" Percy merely grinned at him, a psychotic smile that sent shivers down Piper's spine.

"I am so done with you." Riptide was out before she could blink, three feet of deadly sharp Celestial Bronze sailing through the air at an impossible speed, directly at Phobos. But amazingly, Phobos's own blade was already there, deflecting Percy's strike as easily as swatting away a fly. With a well-practiced hand, Percy retaliated, rolling clear of Phobos's weapon, moments before it split him in half, making it look as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

A crack of lightning erupted throughout the sky, followed by an impossibly-loud clap of thunder, only adding to the chaos of the night. Jason was pissed, and it was obvious. But then again, she would be too if she were tied up, powerless to help her friends. Piper tore her eyes from the fight, attempting to push herself to her feet, groaning at the sharp pain that assaulted her. Beside her, Deimos is stirring, spluttering and spitting up water. Uneasy, she grabs the railing, biting back a yelp, as her arm twinges defiantly. She had to get to Jason and the others before Deimos got to her. Or worse, to them. Deimos was completely awake and on his feet now, a murderous look on his face. He attempted to step toward her, fury woven throughout his features, but something was stopping him, some kind of invisible barrier. _Jason. _It had to be, who else could control the wind like that? One look at him, told her she was right. His eyes were closed, eyebrows scrunched together slightly in concentration.

Growling, Deimos stepped towards Leo and Hazel, but with the same result. Piper looked at Jason, incredulous. He was leaning heavily against the railing, obviously taxed by the effort of keeping the winds under control, yet he still had a small, smug grin upon his face, infuriating Deimos. And at that moment Piper fell in love with him all over again. But Jason, powerful as he was, was still only a half-blood, while Deimos was a god. He couldn't hold him off forever. And already he was waning, the wind-shield around them faltering until it was nearly nonexistent. Beside her, Piper can practically hear the gears turning in Annabeth's head, weighing different options and consequences, eyes flashing dangerously. Deimos is only a few feet away, now, and Piper desperately searches for her knife, fumbling, her hands shaking with adrenaline and fear.

"Looking for this?" She snapped her head up, coming face to face with Deimos, dangling Katropis between his fingers. "Nice blade, I think I'll keep it, thanks." Piper scowled, grabbing for her knife, not caring that she was giving Deimos the reaction he wanted. He snatched the blade away, mockingly, kicking her legs out from under her. "You. sister." he sneered, penetrating each word with a swift kick to her side, "have been. a real. pain. in the butt." An unwarranted whimper escaped her lips, as she felt her ribs crack, only adding to Deimos's smirk. The god stooped down on his knees, dragging her upright by her hair. "It's been real sister."

Time seemed to slow down, as, for the second time that day, Piper found herself staring straight into Deimos's sword, helpless to do anything. And at that moment, it was just her and the sword. The one blade that would surely prove to be her downfall. Everything around her seemed to fade away. She didn't close her eyes this time, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Annabeth's eyes snap back into focus, filled with adrenaline. "PERCY!"

Across the deck, Percy looked up at the sound of Annabeth's voice, terror striking his features as he saw their position. Before she could blink, he was already sprinting towards her, running as if Hades himself were after him.

"PIPER, DUCK!" He hits the ground himself, sliding down the deck, a massive wave roaring behind him.

Piper didn't hesitate. She wrenched herself from Deimos's grip, screaming in pain as her broken ribs collided with the deck. Percy was there before she could blink, hammering Deimos with crushing blow after crushing blow. "You. Don't. Touch. Her." He growled, fury in his eyes. "You. Don't. Touch. _Them._" He continued, gesturing to the others, who were still bound, despite their struggles.

With each devastating strike, Percy's anger only seemed to grow, the ocean beneath them responding with a raging vengeance. Massive waves rose on either side of the boat, easily climbing twenty to thirty feet into the air. The deck rocked violently, sending Piper flying into the railing, losing her grip on Katropis, watching helplessly as it sailed over the edge of the boat. She grasped onto the railing for dear life, swallowing back an involuntary wave of terror. She had never seen Percy angry before, truly angry, and it was not something she wanted to see ever again.

He was a scary sight, with his eyes practically glowing in the dark of the night, face twisted into an ruthless mask of hatred and cruelty. This was not the Percy she knew, it was a hidden side, a harder side. He had morphed into someone else entirely, someone no doubt created as a result of all the crap he had been forced to deal with in his life. Piper wondered if this was the Percy that had been to Tartarus, the Percy that had fought Kronos, only coming out in a kill-or-be-killed moment. Until today, that was. Today it had been triggered by anger, and anger alone, and it made Piper sick to think of how long Phobos and Deimos must have been tormenting him to push him to this point.

The ship twists again, violently throwing Piper clear across the deck, straight into Hazel and the others. Wincing, she struggles to undo their bonds, a task virtually impossible with only one functioning arm. Spotting her knife a few feet away, she hastily grabs it, fumbling slightly at the unfamiliar feeling of it in her left hand. Of course she just _had_ to injure her dominant arm. Piper tightens her on the hilt of the blade, marveling at how something so familiar could feel so alien, so foreign. But it would have to do. She hastily returns to Hazel's side, trying her best to ignore the throbbing in her ribs, sawing through the ropes that held her captive as quickly as she dared. They didn't have time for this. She couldn't fight— there was no way, not in the condition she was in, even she had to admit that— and mad or not, Percy couldn't hold off both Phobos and Deimos forever.

As if reading her mind, Percy lets out a choked cry of pain, and it takes all of Piper's determination not to whirl around and run to his side. _Percy's stubborn, _she told herself, switching to Hazel's other hand. _He'll be okay. _But somehow she just couldn't swallow down the sense of dread that kept creeping up her throat. Percy cries out again, and this time she does turn around. He's still fighting like a mad-man, but she can tell he's injured. His left elbow is tucked close to his body, an attempt to keep from straining it, and he's limping— badly.

As she watches, Phobos feigns to the left, as Deimos sneaks up behind Percy, sword raised. "PERCY BEHIND YOU!" Her voice echoes across the deck, and Percy doesn't question it, he throws himself to the ground in the nick of time, yelling in pain as his attempt to roll to his feet is dashed by a sharp kick to the side. Deimos kicks him again, and Piper could practically hear his ribs snap in half, as he flies back, crashing into the railing with a small whimper. Before he could pull himself to his feet, Phobos is there, yanking him up by his hair, sword raised. To her horror, Percy isn't moving, only hanging there limply, dejectedly watching the blade that would finally prove to be his downfall, as it sailed through the air, straight at his chest.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

**Guys I am so, so, so sorry for how long it's taken to get this chapter out. You guys have been nothing but sweet to me, and I feel really bad for making you wait this long. It's almost been a year, how could I be so cruel?! :( Anyway, I tried to make this chapter longer, and it is by almost a thousand words, so hopefully that at least helps to win forgiveness back from you guys. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed or DM'ed me. I have NO intentions of abandoning this story. Hopefully you guys like this chappie as much as the others. All feedback is loved! Thank you guys for being the best followers ever, I'll try and be a better author, **

**justawkwardlystandingthere.**

Time stood still. Piper tried to run towards Percy, to yell, to do something, but her feet seemed to be frozen to the ground in shock. Behind her, Jason let out a choked, half-growl half-sob, that made Piper's heart clench. Silent tears were dripping down Frank's face, poor Hazel looked like she was about to throw up, and Leo was literally smoking with anger. But worst of all, by far, was Annabeth. She was yelling and screaming bloody murder, thrashing frantically against the ropes binding her to the railing as if her life depended on it.

And each of her cries was like a slap in the face. Because it was Piper's fault, all of it. She had screwed up too many times to count that night, and now Percy was about to pay the price. Letting Phobos go, forgetting to make Deimos swear on the River Styx, allowing Percy to be separated from her. Hell_, _she had practically _signed_ his death warrant. His blood was on her hands, and it would never come clean. The guilt washed over her in waves, enveloping her until she couldn't breathe, but she let it in, welcoming the pain, hiding behind it. It was petty of her, sure, but the blame and the guilt and the hurt were more bearable than a world without Percy Jackson; a world in which she had _killed _Percy Jackson.

"NO! _STOP!"_

The words tore themselves out of Piper's mouth without her consent. She doesn't know what she expected to happen; Phobos to drop his sword, and release Percy, surrendering with an apologetic smile on his face, one that said 'this is all just a big misunderstanding.' Under any other circumstances, Piper would have snorted at the absurdity of it all. But she just couldn't bring herself to even _think _about smiling at the moment. The word sounded dirty, tabooed. Because Percy was about to die, and no one should ever smile again. So she didn't laugh, instead, she closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the sickening _crunch _of metal penetrating flesh and bone that she knew was coming. _The last sound Percy would ever hear, _whispered a tiny pessimistic voice in her head, infuriatingly bringing tears to her eyes.

Only it never came.

"Piper. Piper! _PIPER!"_

Someone was yelling. Jason. Yelling _her _name, she realized, not Percy's.

"You have to do it again, Piper, quickly!"

Annabeth too was shouting now, her voice sounding somewhere between exasperation and utter devastation.

_What the Hades was she talking about? Do what again? _

"Piper, they're about to kill him, do it _NOW!"_

That snapped Piper out of her daze pretty quickly. She looked up, shocked, as she was hit with a wave of deja vu. Phobos was advancing towards Percy, sword pressed threateningly to his throat. But…. But that didn't make any sense. How was Percy still alive? He had been in the exact same position over a minute ago, why hadn't Phobos killed him?

"PIPER, NOW!"

Piper wanted to scream. She didn't understand what they were asking her, what they wanted her to do. She was missing something, something obvious to the others, and now, once again, Percy was going to die because of her stupidity and inability to understand. The others were still screaming; screaming at her, and screaming at Percy, even at Phobos and Deimos. Frantically begging _someone _to do _something. _Because no one, _no one_, could bear the idea of losing the son of Poseidon. And it was just too much. The pain and the fear and the pressure and the panic, on top of her own guilt, was just too overwhelming. Her head felt like it was about to explode, and her body tightened with anger.

_"__STOP!"_ She slid to a halt, panting, covering her ears with her hands. "Everybody just _stop!"_

Incredulously, they all obeyed, voices trailing off, pleads dying halfway-spoken on their tongues. A cold bead of sweat trickled down the back of her neck, as all eyes turned to her. No one dared to breathe, and the night was silent once again. The spontaneous calm spell was confusing— disorienting. It felt as if they were on TV, and someone had hit the pause button. And in a sudden moment of clarity, she realized exactly what had happened. It had been _her. _Her words alone had been the only thing that stopped that sword from burying itself in Percy's chest. Before, Piper had always had to consciously try when she was using charmspeak, deliberately choosing her words and concentrating on making others believe them. She had always thought of her charmspeak and her normal voice as being two separate parts of her, two different parts, but now she wasn't so sure. Maybe they had always been one and the same, and she had just never realized it, never _wanted _to realize it.

Trying not to let her disbelief show, Piper turned to face the two gods, gesturing to their swords. "Drop them." She tried her best to keep her voice steady and calm, to not show how scared and freaked out she really was. When they didn't respond immediately, she glowered at them with what she hoped look like a sharp glare, but probably ended up looking more like she felt: scared and out of her element. "I said _drop _them!" Reluctantly, they obeyed, both of their swords clattering to the floor. "Knives too," added Piper as an afterthought. The god rolled his eyes, but proceeded to pull out a total of five concealed knives, from his jacket pocket, waistband and boot. He glared at her as he threw them down, each landing buried to the hilt in the wooden deck, blades quivering.

Piper gulped, swallowing back her fear. _Time for the tricky part. _"Now let Percy go." The son of Poseidon was still hanging limply in Phobos's grasp, the god's iron grip on his hair and the back of his collar the only things keeping him from collapsing onto the deck. Phobos smirked at her, merely tightened his hold on Percy, eliciting a small, involuntary cry of pain from the son of Poseidon. Piper's body tensed at the sound, and it took all of her self-control to keep from visibly flinching.

"I said release him," she repeated, her voice dropping dangerously low. "_Now." _

Glaring daggers at her, Phobos obeyed, falling victim to the potency of her words. The god forcefully shoved Percy towards her, eyes full of loathing. The son of Poseidon stumbled, but she was there before he could hit the ground, letting him crumple safely into her embrace, ignoring the waves of pain that rolled through her as his body jostled her already-throbbing ribs.

"Sorry," he muttered, voice cracking against his parched throat. And at that moment, Piper wanted nothing more than to stand there and hold him, to reassure him that he never did anything wrong. But she knew that if she even hesitated, Phobos and Deimos would break free of whatever hold she still had over them, and in the position she was in— injured and cradling her half-delirious friend, with the rest of her family still helpless and trussed to the railing— that she couldn't afford the luxury of comforting him. So instead, she somehow managed to push Percy to his feet, doing her best to ignore his cry of pain, positioning herself so that she stood slightly in front of him, her arm thrown out protectively, doing her best to shelter him from whatever potential threat she knew was about to arise. Praying that he wasn't going to pass out, she turned her full attention back to the two enraged gods.

"Daughter of Aphrodite," growled Deimos, his voice tight, "release us _now." _His words hit her like a punch in the gut, his voice impossible to ignore. Taken by surprise, Piper found herself about to obey before she caught herself, her _yes_dying unspoken in her throat. Damn. She had completely forgotten about Deimos. Phobos may have been under her spell, but Deimos, Deimos was a completely different matter entirely. Her charmspeak was trivial and weak compared to his; his demanded the attention of everyone within a hundred mile radius. It was wickedly strong and completely electrifying, matching perfectly with the devilish glint in his eyes.

"N..n…_no._" she fought to pull the word out from between her lips, her head beginning to throb from the effort. But Piper was stubborn— almost suicidally so— always had been, and probably always would be. So she did her best to fight him, raging against the cage of his words the best she could. Their battle was completely mental, but it was physically draining, leaving her feeling faint and out of her element— something she wasn't used to when it came to charmspeak. She hated how her words, usually so smooth and put together, trembled with uncertainty. Her voice had been the one thing she could constantly count on— she had never been completely confident in her ability to fight with a blade— and now it was gone.

His hold over her shifted suddenly, strengthening, and she knew it was all over. He held her in an iron fist, controlling her will like a marionette on a string. She was helpless, she realized, _they _were helpless. Because her friends were completely depending upon her to save them, to get them out of this mess she had created, but she couldn't do it. She wasn't strong enough. A cruel smile plastered itself over the god's face as he realized that he had won, that they were completely at his mercy, and that there was nothing she could do about it.

_"__Sister." _He grinned at her cockily and approached slowly, stopping at an uncomfortably close distance."I win," his voice was dangerously soft, his mere presence making chill bumps erupt up her arms, "and there's absolutely _nothing_ you can do about it." He tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, the mockingly loving gesture made her skin crawl. "So here's what's going to happen. I'm going to kill your friends, sister. I'm going to kill them one by one, slowly and painfully, right here, right now. But you, _you_, I won't kill. In fact, you'll be the one doing the killing." He laughed quietly, but the sound was hollow and dead. His eyes flashed dangerously, and for the first time Piper wondered if the god was actually psychotic. "All it takes is one little whisper from me, one small suggestion, and you're mine, as obedient as a puppy."

"Or…" Phobos spoke up for the first time, clearly approving of his brother's plan. "Or we could leave you alone, and simply have a little talk with your friend here. I'm sure he would just _love _that idea." He turned to Percy, a cruel smile plastered on his face. "How about it Jackson, would you like to be our meat puppet for today?" Percy held his gaze, green eyes glaring back at Phobos defiantly, but Piper could tell the idea freaked him out.

_No. No, no, no, no, no. _Piper closed her eyes, trying to calm herself; there was no way she would let that happen, _there was no way she would let that happen. _It would completely destroy Percy. His worst fear was _suffocation, _for crying out loud, and being under the influence of Deimos's charmspeak was like being possessed, being locked inside your own head, unable to control your own actions or words. She hadn't talked much to the son of Poseidon before that night, but she knew enough about him to understand that he tended to internalize everything. Hell, she knew he already felt guilty about the whole Phobos and Deimos fiasco— not that it was in any way his fault. But _this— _literally being controlled like a puppet, being forced to kill his friends, to hear their cries, to feel their blood on his hands— it would destroy him; the guilt would eat him alive from the inside out.

"Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you, Percy," mocked Deimos, as he stepped away from Piper and toward the son of Poseidon. Percy's face was livid, and yet she could see the panic there too, almost completely masked by his fury. He struggled fruitlessly against Phobos's hold, but the god tightened his grip on Percy's hair, pulling his head back until the son of Poseidon cried out in pain. Piper suddenly found her voice.

"HEY, LEAVE HIM ALO…" Deimos cut off her protests with a mere wave of his hand, effectively silencing her.

Piper couldn't help but watch as Deimos knelt down next to Percy, whispering indecipherable words into his ear. Percy's pained eyes met her own, and it was apparent that he knew exactly what was about to happen; that in mere seconds he would be completely under Deimos's spell, a mindless slave to Terror's every beck and call. _I'm sorry, _his gaze seemed to say, _I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I'm sorry. _And then it was gone; his sincere, tear-glazed eyes were replaced with hard, cruel looking ones, every ounce of Percy drained from his face.

At Deimos's urge, he got to his feet without hesitation, all previous injuries entirely forgotten, a cruel smile donning his face. Before she had a chance to react, he was already inches away, kicking her legs out from under her. Piper tried desperately to roll out of the way, but she was too late.

"Hey now," Percy managed to catch her by the shoulder, slamming her up against the wall with an unnatural amount of force. A merciless punch hit her straight in the chest, drove the air from her body, sent waves of fire up her already-broken ribs. "Where do you think you're going, _Beauty Queen_?" The words made her cringe; they were coming from Percy's mouth, but it wasn't him saying them. His voice was uncharacteristically harsh and cruel, laced with a sadism that was all Deimos's.

A second punch smashed into her shoulder, and agony roared through her body as she felt her arm tear out of the socket from the inhuman force. She screamed in pain— she couldn't help it— but Percy, Percy didn't even flinch. A mocking grin plastering itself over his face. "Aww, did I hurt you Princess? Let's do it again sometime." The following punch was worse than the first, and soon she was crying, tears dripping down her face.

_Gods, _she was pathetic. She felt completely helpless, she _was _completely helpless. And she hated herself for it. All of her life she had felt dependent on people, felt that she was less than other people. Before they left Camp Half-Blood she had promised herself that she would not become a burden to the rest of the seven. That she would work and fight and train until she could at least look at her friends straight in the eye without feeling like she didn't belong. Recently, she had finally felt like she was at that point, felt like she had finally found a sense of belonging. But now, now Piper realized that she had only been fooling herself. Who had she been kidding?! She didn't belong here, on a legendary quest to stop the end of the world, surrounded by the six most powerful half-bloods of the century. She was nothing compared to Jason, to Annabeth, to Percy. All she had done that night was screw up.

Piper's anger rose, lit itself on fire. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair for Phobos and Deimos to just suddenly appear on their ship, her _home_, and rip her life away from her. Suddenly she couldn't think straight. She was close to the edge, close to loosing it. And Percy's next punch was just enough to set her off.

"PERCY JACKSON YOU STOP RIGHT NOW!"

The moment the words were out of her mouth, she knew they were potent, laced with a record-breaking amount of charmspeak. She hadn't been trying to, but then maybe that was the trick.

Laced with enough charmspeak to take down anyone, anyone _besides _Deimos that was. And yet, amazingly, Percy actually faltered, his cold mask slipping for a fraction of a second, his actual face shining through. But it was gone as soon as it had come, and suddenly those terrible green eyes were mocking her again, grinning down at her cruelly as Percy uncapped Riptide.

It should have been simple really; she was hurt and unable to move, and a very angry demigod was standing over her with a sword; Piper did the math. She should have been dead right then and there. Percy's sword should have struck her straight in the chest, pierced her heart, drained the life from her. But being Piper McLean, of course nothing in her life could ever be simple, ironically even her death.

Lightning exploded through the sky, rattling the deck with its rage, reanimating the night. And suddenly Jason was there, knocking Riptide away, tackling Percy to the ground, and Piper just wanted to cry in relief. She felt gentle arms encircling her shoulders and leaned into the touch, recognizing Annabeth's tear stained face. Before she knew it she was crying into the other girl's shoulder, her entire body racking with sobs.

"Hey, hey it's okay, it's okay." she soothed, pulling Piper closer so that her head was resting on Annabeth's shoulder, wrapped in her friend's embrace. "You're okay Piper, Percy's okay, everyone's okay." Everything was a blur of sound and color, her mind registering random details. "Piper, you're in shock, I need you to pay attention to me." The daughter of Athena was blabbering, her words checking in and out of Piper's conscious. Over her shoulder, she could see Jason picking a dazed, semi-concious Percy up off the ground, struggling to carry him without jostling his injuries. Phobos and Deimos were nowhere to be seen.

Annabeth was still on autopilot, a constant string of orders flowing from her mouth as if it was the simplest thing in the world, as if nothing had just happened and this was just another normal day. The daughter of Athena's ability to remain calm and logical when under pressure would never cease to amaze Piper. "Jason can you get him down to the infirmary by yourself?" asked Annabeth, gesturing to her boyfriend who lay barely conscious in the son of Jupiter's arms.

Jason nodded. "He'll be fine, don't worry." Piper couldn't tell if he was trying to reassure her or himself.

It seemed to work, however, because Annabeth's body relaxed a fraction. "Hazel, he'll need nectar and ambrosia. And a change of clothes," she added, taking in Percy's trashed pajamas, soaked with blood and sweat. "If I'm not down there in five minutes, I need you and Jason to set his ribs and his arm. And whatever else is broken." Annabeth's voice was firm, yet she somehow never came across as bossy, and Piper honestly had no idea what they would do without her. Hazel nodded wordlessly, and followed Jason, disappearing below deck.

She turned to Frank and Leo. "Frank I need you to make sure those bastardsare really gone. And Leo, just get us the hellaway from here." They both nodded— Leo even gave her a little salute— before they both ran off, leaving Piper and Annabeth alone on deck.

Piper soon became explicitly aware that she was still half in Annabeth's lap, wrapped in her friends embrace. Embarrassed, she tried to untangle herself when a white-hot wave of pain tore through her, her vision turning black around the edges.

"Piper! Piper! Hey!" The daughter of Athena slowly lowered her back to the ground. "I need you to stay with me here." She pulled a small piece of ambrosia from her pocket and placed it in Piper's mouth. "I can't carry you downstairs by myself without hurting your shoulder worse, so I'm going to have to set it now, okay?" Piper couldn't find the energy to reply, but she managed to nod, almost imperceptibly, hoping Annabeth got the message. "Alright here we go." The older girl grabbed her injured arm, bracing herself against the deck. "On three, okay? One… two… _three!" _She pulled back suddenly, and Piper screamed as the bone popped back into the socket, agony roaring through her arm, her vision going completely black.

**A/N: **

**I had this idea of doing Jason or maybe Annabeth's POV for the next chapter. What do you guys think? Yay or Nay? **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Guys I am so sorry about the wait for this chapter. I had severe writer's block, and ended up writing and re-writing it about three times. Thank you so much for all the reviews/faves/follows- you have no idea how much they mean to me. When I first started this story I was fully expecting around 10 reviews, at the most. To have over 90 is just amazing to me. You guys are AMAZING. So as a personal thank-you from me, this chapter is more than twice as long as usual. Popular request was Jason's POV for this chapter, but I tried to put a lot of Annabeth in it too, for everyone that wanted her POV. There** is **little bit of profanity- I should warn you- but nothing too harsh. This chapter is heavy in Jason/Annabeth friendship, something I very much endorse, so hopefully you enjoy! **

_Jason was standing alone on the deck. That in itself wasn't too unusual— he barely slept three hours a night these days, if at all. But something felt wrong. The night was unnaturally quiet, the moon abnormally bright. Beneath him the black water churned, slapping forcefully against the sides of the ship, almost as if something were agitating it. He shook the notion from his head, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. What was he getting so worked up about? There was nothing there. He wasn't normally one to scare so easily._

_The deck in front of him creaked suddenly, the sound bouncing eerily off of the abandoned ship. Jason whirled around, the hairs on the back of his neck rising. All of his instincts screamed at him to run, to get away from there. The moon slipped behind the clouds, throwing the deck into deep shadow. He could have sworn he heard footsteps… He placed his hand on the hilt of his gladius, slowly drawing the blade. The familiar whisper of metal on metal broke the intimidating silence of the night, but somehow did nothing to calm his frayed nerves. There was someone else on the ship— he was sure of it now._

_The wind picked up, aggressively tugging at his shirt, and he could sense storm clouds forming overhead, like they always did when he was upset. Thunder boomed in the distance, and lightning flashed, briefly illuminating a black-clad figure a few meters away, before the deck fell into darkness once again. Jason froze, chills running down his spine. They had never trained for this—being hunted down in the dark._

_He tightened his grip on his weapon, cautiously backing towards the staircase. He felt too exposed out in the open. A sudden _hiss _filled the night, and the son of Jupiter reflexively threw himself to the ground— and not a second too late. He heard the solid _thunk _of metal connecting with wood, and knew that if it weren't so dark, he would see a knife buried to the hilt in the wall behind him._

_Jason's heartbeat sped up; he could practically feel his assailants eyes boring into the back of his head. Whoever this was, they weren't messing around. For the first time in his life, the son of Jupiter found himself thankful for the darkness that surrounded him— he had a terrible feeling it was the only reason he was still alive at that moment. His attacker was just as inhibited by the night as he was._

_The ship lurched suddenly— practically rolling horizontally through the water— pitching him straight into the railing. Jason felt his stomach drop as he got to his feet, heart thudding even more furiously against his ribcage. There was only one person who could control the water like that._

_"Come out, Grace." Jason's heart sank at the sound of the familiar voice. He had hoped he was wrong, hoped that his mind was just playing tricks on him. But there was no doubt to whom the owner of the voice was. "Come out and play." A cold bead of sweat trickled down the back of his neck, as he backed up further, letting the shadows envelop him. Trying to avoid a confrontation at all costs. Because if it came down to it, he couldn't do it— kill him, his friend, his _cousin_ for gods sakes._

_Thunder rumbled directly overhead, and a massive lightning bolt struck the deck directly in front of him, illuminating a glowing pair of sea green eyes. His eyes. But they weren't. They weren't the mischievous, carefree eyes that he remembered. No. These were dark, filled with cruelty and anger. But there was still no mistaking them. Against his better judgement, Jason stepped out of the shadows._

"_Percy stop," Jason begged. "This isn't you. Whatever's wrong I can help you."_

_Percy merely smirked at his words, cocking an eyebrow. "Yeah, I don't think so." And lunged. Jason brought his blade up at the last minute, barely managing to deflect Percy's sword over his left shoulder. But before he could strike back, Riptide was already upon him again, striking his with bone-shattering force. Blow by blow, Percy slowly forced Jason to his knees, only to be blasted back with a concussion of air, slamming him into the railing. Jason hoped that maybe he had been knocked unconscious, but knew it was too good to be true. Percy pushed himself to his feet, face livid. And Jason realized that he had just made a very, very bad mistake._

_Percy raised his hands, and the sea rose to his command, massive waves smashing over both sides of the deck. "Percy…" Jason tried one last time, to talk some sense into him, but it was just as pointless as before. The waves swirled into a massive whirlpool around him, forcing his head under before he had a chance to fly away. He struggled violently against the currents, but they dragged him down. Black spots danced in front of his eyes, as the darkness overwhelmed him._

Jason woke with a start, breathing hard. He was back in his cabin, had never left his cabin. It was just a dream, just a nightmare, it wasn't real. And while nightmares were a common occurrence in his life these days, it had been a long time since a mere dream had left him as shaken as he was now. It had been a total of five days since the incident with Phobos and Deimos, or "they-who-must-not-be-named" as Leo had affectionately taken to calling them, and Jason still couldn't wrap his mind around exactly what had happened. The whole night was a blur, random details and memories coming back in bits and pieces, intertwining themselves with fictional events, and haunting his dreams with an intensity that bordered on obsessive, ambushing him every time he closed his eyes. That was what this nightmare had been, twisted memories of Percy under Phobos's spell, dark eyes full of amusement, laughing at others pain with a cruelty that the son of Poseidon just didn't possess.

They still knew next to nothing about what had happened that night. The two gods were Phobos and Deimos, the sons of Ares and Aphrodite—Annabeth had been able to tell them that much—but the information had done little to clear up much else. No one had a clue what Terror and Fear had been doing on their ship, and Annabeth and the rest of the Seven had been running themselves ragged trying to find an explanation.

Exhausted to the bone, Jason closed his eyes, rewarded only with more flashes of terrible memories.

_The coarse burn of the rope against his wrists as he struggled to reach Piper. Deimos' arm pressed to Percy's throat, holding him to the wall, slowly suffocating him. Annabeth, screaming bloody murder beside him, thrashing to break free of her bonds. Percy under Deimos' spell, eyes dark and sadistic, mocking, taunting. Piper, face white with pain, kneeling at Deimos' feet, knife pressed to her throat. The feeling of Percy's blood soaking through his shirt as he carried him to the infirmary, the son of Poseidon's hand grasping weakly at Jason's shirt._

Jason shook the flood of memories away with a gasp. Giving up on sleep, he pulled himself out of bed, miraculously managing to extract himself from the tangled mess that were his sheets without falling on his face. Body on autopilot, he found himself walking to the infirmary. Piper and Percy were both still unconscious, something that worried him, but that Annabeth assured was normal, especially considering the sheer amount of nectar and ambrosia they had been forced to give them.

Arriving at the infirmary, Jason opened the door as quietly as always—it was habit by now—not that it was necessary. If Piper and Percy had managed to sleep through Leo's creative renditions of _Fireball_ and _Copacobana _the other night, then they were in no danger of waking up now. He slipped through the doorway, but suddenly he was somewhere else entirely.

_He was back on the deck, once again helplessly bound to the railing, Frank and Annabeth on his right, Hazel and Leo on his left. Piper was down, Percy-not-Percy standing over her, sword drawn. "Percy! Percy, STOP!" Annabeth was screaming, her voice piercing._

_"Piper! Piper!" He too was screaming, his heart beating out of his chest as he struggled to free himself from the ropes—but they weren't budging. Desperate, Jason turned to plan B. "Leo! Burn through the ropes!" The cords binding his left hand and Leo's right were right next to each other, practically touching._

_"But…" Leo protested, but Jason cut him off._

_"Leo burn through them now!"_

_Leo obeyed, and Jason barely felt the flames that enveloped his arm, ripping free of the bindings and drawing his gladius, cutting free of the ropes that held his other hand and Annabeth's, lightning striking across the sky as he finally broke free. He was in front of Piper in less than a second, blocking Percy's strike, tackling him to the ground. Phobos and Deimos had both disappeared. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Annabeth running to Piper. A small part of him wanted to go check on her himself, to make sure she was okay, but the sensible side of him knew that Annabeth would take care of her. He focused his attention on Percy, wrestling Riptide from his hands, pinning them above his head. They struggled, but Jason's grip was firm. Percy was practically growling, his eyes full of a malice and cruelty that scared Jason to death. He was hit with a wave of anger at Phobos and Deimos for reducing the son of Poseidon to this, a mere vessel, a puppet for Deimos, with no will of his own. They stayed like that for what felt like forever, until the the darkness lifted from his eyes, replaced with guilt and pain._

_It was then that he noticed the blood. "Damn it!" Jason swore. This was not happening. Overwhelmed, he put his hands to his head. This could not be happening. He pulled Percy's already blood-soaked shirt up, cringing at the grisly sight; a single piece of bone was protruding from the son of Poseidon's stomach, surrounded by a steadily growing pool of crimson. No. No, no, no, no. He lifted his cousin into his arms, trying not to flinch at his labored breaths. Percy's hand had fisted itself in his shirt, and Jason could feel his blood soaking through the thin fabric._

_"Jason can you get him to the infirmary by yourself?" Annabeth's calm and collected voice was the only thing keeping him from full out panicking, and he felt a rush of appreciation for the daughter of Athena. _

_He nodded. "He'll be fine, don't worry." The words tumbled out of his mouth automatically. It's all going to be okay. Jason tried to convince himself, putting on his most reassuring face. The same one he gave Piper when she was scared. It's all going to be okay. The one he had given Reyna before charging Krios at Mount Othrys, in what he had honestly thought would be the last day of his life. It's all going to be okay. The words seemed to relax the daughter of Athena a fraction, just as he knew they would. He had grown far too good at hiding his feelings these past few years. The only person he could never manage to fool was himself. _

_When he reached the infirmary, Hazel was already there, armed with an arsenal of bandages and nectar and ambrosia. "Oh my gods," the same panic that Jason was feeling flashed across her face as he gently lowered Percy onto the nearest cot. "Oh my gods."_

Jason pulled himself out of the memory with a groan. He had relived the entire night over and over again in his head, and it never got easier. Shaking the images from his head, he moved further into the room. Both Piper and Percy had been banged to hell. Piper had cracked three ribs, dislocated her right shoulder, and broken her wrist on the same arm, as well as the numerous superficial scrapes and cuts that covered her body. The charmspeak stunt that she pulled also seemed to have taken a lot out of her, and consequently— or so theorized Annabeth— would weaken her abilities for the next week or so. But she was alive, alive and breathing, and nothing mattered more to Jason than that. Percy hadn't been so lucky. His heart had stopped mere seconds after they arrived in the infirmary. Not knowing what else to do, Jason had acted rashly, sending volts of electricity through the son of Poseidon's body. It had left behind a nasty looking burn in the shape of his handprint— explaining that one to Annabeth had not been fun—but thankfully it worked. In addition, he had suffered harsh bruising on his neck—thankfully there would be no permanent damage, Annabeth assured— a broken arm and a twisted ankle, as well as two severely broken ribs which were the cause of the extensive blood loss that had scared them so much.

Annabeth had barely left his side since the incident, even now she was perched in the chair by his cot, fast asleep, her hand intertwined with Percy's, a copy of Architectural Digest resting in her lap. Smiling to himself, Jason placed a small kiss on Piper's forehead before scooping the daughter of Athena up into his arms, intending to carry her to her room. She barely slept at all these days, and if anyone deserved the rest it was Annabeth. He only made it halfway down the hall, however, before she started to wake up.

"What the…" she looked up at him, still slightly dazed, before recognition filtered itself over across features. "Jason come on put me down." She mumbled, still half asleep.

"Yeah I don't think so."

Annoyance flashed over her face, not used to being told no, and she punched at his arm halfheartedly. "I'm fine, put me down."

Jason grinned. "I'll tell you what, answer my next question and I'll put you down. Deal?"

"You're on, Grace."

"What day is it?" Stormy gray eyes glared up at him. It was a low blow and she knew it. The daughter of Athena had barely left the infirmary since incident, and lack of sleep, combined with stress and worry ensured that she wouldn't remember something as trivial as the day of the week.

"That's not fair, I..."

Jason cut her off. "I'm waiting."

Annabeth scowled at him. "Sunday."

"Tuesday," Jason corrected. "Looks like you're benched, Chase." They had reached the her room, and he shifted her in his arms, opening the door. "Now do I need to tuck you in, or can you take it from here?"

"You're just as stubborn as your sister, you know," she retorted, shrugging out of his hold.

"What can I say, it's a family trait."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, before walking into her room, closing the door behind her.

Knowing their conversation was far from over, Jason walked a few paces down the hall, hiding himself around the corner, waiting.

Sure enough, not a minute later, the quiet click of a door opening echoed down the hall, followed by the soft padding of feet against the carpet. He counted down.

_Five. Four. Three. Two. One_.

The son of Jupiter stepped out of the shadows, coming face to face with Annabeth.

"So I'm the stubborn one, huh?"

Surprise flashed over her face, a deer in headlights. "Jason."

"Annabeth." He frowned at her. "Going somewhere?"

"Who are you, my mother?" retorted Annabeth, but there was no heat in her words.

Jason made a face at the comparison and Annabeth laughed, the first time in days.

Her face quickly sobered, however, as if she had only just realized what she was doing. "Look, Jason, I appreciate what you're trying to do— I really do, believe me— but I can't just sit up here while Percy's down there alone. I need to be down there because if something else happens to him I won't be able to forgive myself and I just…" Her words were becoming faster and faster, teetering on the edge of hysterics in a way that he had never thought the daughter of Athena would. Angrily, she swiped a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "We still don't know exactly what happened, I…" Her voice broke, "I haven't figured it out yet, but…"

"Hey," Jason cut her off, putting a hand on her shoulder. He arranged his face into the familiar mask, smothering his worry down under it, hiding it from prying eyes. "This isn't your fault, okay? This is not on you. Yeah, we still don't know exactly what happened, but Piper and Percy do, and they'll explain everything when they wake up, and they will wake up, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about right now."

Annabeth had the decency to look semi-assured.

"Besides," Jason continued unperturbed, "when your boyfriend wakes up only to find out that you've collapsed from exhaustion, he's going to have my ass and gods know you wouldn't want that guilt on you." _You're a hypocrite, Grace. A dirty, filthy hypocrite. _

But this time Annabeth actually did laugh, and the mere look on her face was worth it.

"I think I can manage it, than— "

Out of nowhere memories slammed into him, knocking him from reality.

_Piper controlling Phobos' body like a puppet, the words flowing from her mouth as potent as any poison. Percy, face livid, controlling the massive swells of water with mere waves of his hands. Leo's furious yells as Phobos threw Piper to the ground like a rag doll. The look on Hazel's face when Percy's heart stopped in the infirmary and the utter sense of panic that had followed. Percy jackknifing up in bed as Jason sent volts of electricity through his body, shocking him back to life. _

The flashes were gone as quickly as they had come, and he found himself back in the hallway, panting, on the floor. "Jason! Jason, hey!" Annabeth was crouched down beside him, concern etched across her face. "You okay?" He nodded, and pushed himself to his feet, stumbling when his legs refused to support his weight. He pitched towards Annabeth. "Whoa! Hey, Jason!" She caught him deftly, lowering him back to the ground before he could collapse. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Jason found his voice. "Y… Yeah I'm fine." Annabeth stared at him pointedly. "I'm _fine. _Really."

"Uh huh." She sounded unconvinced. "Have you been sleeping?"

"Who are you, my mother?" quipped Jason, earning a glare from the daughter of Athena.

"You may be hurt, Grace, but I will still punch you. Answer the question."

"Enough."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, obviously. You can tell by the way you _passed out _a minute ago."

Jason opened his mouth to respond, but Annabeth cut him off.

"You know, I cannot _believe _you. Standing there like you're some sort of perfect blonde role-model, lecturing _me_ on not taking care of myself?"

"I…" He started, but she was on a roll now.

"Yes, I am worried about Percy, and yes that has been distracting me, but at least I show emotion! At least I'm not some mindless Roman grunt."

Jason couldn't find it in him to defend himself. If beating up on him made her feel better than who was he to stop her. She was hurting right now, she needed this.

"You act as if you're better than us, as if you're somehow above us, but you're not. You're a liar and a hypocrite."

That one hurt a little, striking a bit too close to home, but he sat there and took it all the same.

"I mean, don't you care at all that it's been five days, _five _days, and they still—"

The memories hit him like a truck.

_Piper, limp in Annabeth's arms, sobbing. Percy dangling like a rag-doll in Phobos' grasp. The mad gleam in Deimos' eyes. Piper yelling for Phobos to stop, forcing her will upon his. The anger roaring in his ears as he realized he was helpless to do anything. Percy, screaming in the infirmary as volts of electricity bled from his hands, straight into the son of Poseidon's body._

"Jason! Jason, you're fine. Stop it. Hey! Look at me." Someone was shaking him, pulling him back. "Jason please. Just wake up." Whoever it was sounded scared, desperate. He opened his eyes.

"Thank the gods." Annabeth's tear-stained face smiled down at him. They were on the floor again, and he was halfway in her lap, her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"What's wrong?" He struggled to remember what happened.

"Y... You just collapsed again. All of a sudden. And then you started seizing, and I just... I didn't know what to do, I mean Percy and Piper are already... and now you too and I..."

He had never seen Annabeth so out of her element before.

"'m sorry."

"What?" She seemed taken aback by his apology. "No it's not your fault. It was me. Oh my gods, I am such an asshole. Jason, I am so sorry. I didn't mean any of that."

Jason gave her a small smile. "It's okay. You were hurting, and you needed an outlet. It's not a big deal."

"No, it _is _a big deal. You didn't deserve any of that, okay?"

Jason changed the subject. "Look, I'm really sorry I freaked you out with the whole 'passing out' thing." He sat up, pressing his back to the wall, letting it take the full brunt of his weight, and to his surprise, she mimicked his actions, settling herself against the wall next to him.

"Has it happened before?"

"No, never like that." Jason found himself answering before he has a chance to realize what he's doing.

"But it _has _happened before?"

He nodded, and she mentally filed away the information, face thoughtful.

"Do you… do you see anything or does everything just black out."

"It's like these…" he struggled to find the right words, "these… _flashes _of memories. Really loud, really fast, and really bright. But they usually only last for a few seconds, I've never actually lost consciousness before."

"Well…" Annabeth started hesitantly, "I'm not a doctor or anything, and I don't want to overstep here, but it sounds like… PTSD," she finished gently.

_PTSD. The thought had honestly never even crossed his mind. It just seemed so… common, so normal. Something reserved only for humans. _

"Can demigods even _have_ PTSD?" _The idea was almost a comfort; he'd thought he was going crazy. _

Annabeth laughed. "I know it seems weird, but yeah. She'll probably kill me for telling you this, but your sister actually used to have these black outs. Like she would just completely zone out, couldn't hear anything, couldn't see anything. They scared the hell out of me. But then again, I guess being a tree for four years will do that to you. "

"My sister was a tree?" Surely she was joking.

Annabeth winced. "Yeah," she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "I thought someone would've told you about that."

Jason didn't even know how to begin processing that.

"But anyway," Annabeth cleared her throat, "the point is that it's a totally normal thing, and it's different for everyone. Considering everything we do I'm amazed it doesn't affect more of us.

Jason just nodded, still trying to digest the information.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

_No. Not at all. _He and Annabeth had never been close, always friendly, but he couldn't remember a time they'd had a conversation about something that wasn't as trivial as battle strategy or the pros and cons of celestial bronze and imperial gold. And yet somehow he found himself spilling his soul to this girl, the words tumbling out of his mouth one after the other in an endless torrent. They talked for hours, late into the night, and for the first time in days, when Jason closed his eyes, he's met with nothing but darkness.

**A/N: A Guest review asked me about adding Piper/Annabeth friendship as well, and I definitely plan to, as well as Percy/Jason. Please feel free to review or DM me with suggestions. Your thoughts are gold to me. **


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